The Frontier Scares of 1878
A report from Kittitas detailing a violent encounter on Poll Creek sparks fears of conflict between settlers and Wilbur’s band of Indians in the Yakima territory.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. Charles Taylor of Kittitas arrived in Seattle Sunday evening. He was one of the parties who discovered the remains of Mr. and Mrs. Perkins, who were killed by Indians on Poll Creek, in Yakima County. He states that when found, Mr. Perkins' body was riddled with bullets. Both had been buried, and their graves covered with rocks. The woman had been stripped and, it is supposed, buried alive, as the grave showed evidence of her having endeavored to extricate herself. There were no wounds upon her body, but severe bruises suggested she was injured while being covered with stones. The perpetrators are said to be eight or nine savages known as 'Wilbur's Indians.' This same band fired upon a young man named Walter Burbanks, who was attempting to recover some of his father's horses. They shot three holes through his clothes and one through the horn of his saddle, yet he escaped with a slight flesh wound from a powder burn. Since these atrocities, some of the Indians were arrested, but through fear or some other unknown cause were released unpunished. Settlers recently received about one hundred stand of arms from Vancouver, and those who were a short time ago loud in their denunciation of Governor Ferry are now the loudest in his praise. With plenty of guns and ammunition, the settlers feel safe now and have returned to their crops. Chief Moses reiterates that he will never take up arms against the whites unless soldiers force him upon the reservation, stating that he has lived long at peace and wishes to remain so.
“With plenty of guns and a great sufficiency of ammunition, the settlers feel quite safe now, and have mostly all gone back to their places, and are looking after their crops, which look fine.”
This 1878 report captures the extreme volatility of the Washington Territory during the push for westward expansion, revealing how fragile 'peace' felt to settlers. It serves as a stark reminder of the persistent and violent displacement of Indigenous populations, the role of government arms, and the rhetoric that fueled the cycle of frontier conflict—tensions that ultimately led to the forced relocation of people like Chief Moses.
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